This invention generally relates to a type of building construction which provides high thermal efficiencies and minimizes heat losses attributable to the winter months and heat gains attributable to the summer months. More specifically, the present invention relates to a building structure which is thermally efficient and which can be constructed to achieve maximum thermal efficiency depending upon the geographical location in which the building is constructed.
In recent years, the supplies of conventional fuels used for heating and cooling building structures have declined. Most notably, the conventional supplies of energy sources of fossil fuels in the form of heating oil or natural gas have not been able to achieve parity with the demand for their consumption. The decline in supply of conventional fossil fuels coupled with a relatively constant or increased demand for their consumption has dramatically increased the cost of obtaining these conventional fuels. The increased cost is passed on to individual consumers and is reflected in increased utility bills for heating or cooling a private home, business structure or the like. Thus, it has become imperative to decrease the consumption of such fuels in order to reduce the cost of heating and cooling a building structure.
A primary method of reducing consumption of such fossil fuels in the short term is a conservation effort. In this regard, it has been suggested by government authorities, engineers, and contractors that buildings be constructed in a more thermally efficient manner. Thermal efficiency can be achieved in a building by providing a thermal barrier type insulation in the wall construction, below the finished floor and above the ceilings in an attic space or the like such that a thermally protected building envelope is effected.
The advantages which inure to such construction techniques primarily result in less heat loss or gain, depending upon the ambient weather conditions, resulting in less fuel consumption needed to operate the heating and cooling equipment of a building structure. Since less fuel is consumed in heating and cooling a building utilizing the insulating envelope method of construction, the owner of an insulated building enjoys the advantage of lower overall fuel costs. The public is additionally benefitted by such construction since less fuel used on a large basis means that overall national fuel consumption will be reduced, thereby gaining relief from short fuel supplies.
In the past, buildings which have utilized the envelope-type insulating method of construction have been somewhat successful in decreasing the overall fuel consumption utilized in a building for heating and cooling purposes. However, conventional construction techniques have not changed dramatically since the advent of the short fuel supplies of recent years.
Conventional building techniques basically utilize a foundation upon which vertical stud members generally spaced 16" apart are constructed. On the exterior face of the stud members, plywood or other material is provided to enclose the exterior portion of the building. On the exterior portion of such plywood or like material, there is usually provided a finishing material such as masonry brick, shingles, aluminum siding or the like.
The construction of the stud members 16" apart provides a space into which insulation can be placed or inserted prior to finishing the interior walls by nailing or affixing dry wall, sheet rock, panel board, or the like to the stud members. Thus, according to conventional construction techniques, if, for example, nominal 2".times.4" stud members are utilized, the maximum depth of insulation would generally be only 4". Since no insulation is provided between the vertical stud members and the finished exterior wall, there is a convenient path of least resistance for thermal conductivity.
According to the present invention, however, there is provided a construction technique which allows the contractor to provide a total insulating barrier between the interior walls of a building and the exterior walls. More specifically, the present invention provides for an increased foundation such that the geographical location of the building is taken into account. The increased top horizontal surface of the foundation provides for the construction of the interior and exterior walls to be horizontally spaced thereby forming a cavity. There can be inserted or placed into the cavity insulating material, such as, for example, blown insulation, fiberglass or the like.
Additionally, according to the present invention, there is provided in the horizontal top surface of the foundation a continuous slot which a portion of the insulation inserted into the wall cavity can occupy. The continuous slot creates a thermal occlusive seal between the exterior and interior walls where they are joined to the top horizontal surface of the base foundation.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a pre-formed concrete block foundation upon which a thermal efficient building can be constructed. The preformed concrete blocks utilized by the present invention are those which are generally rectangular in shape and which necessarily have one horizontal dimension larger than the associated second perpendicular horizontal dimension. In this manner, the contractor can choose which dimension will determine the thickness of the foundation, thereby defining the depth of the wall cavity.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the exterior wall is constructed of masonry brick and mortar. Conventional mortar anchors are designed to span only approximately four inches of space between the inner wall and the outer masonry wall. Conventional mortar anchors thus cannot be used in a building constructed in accordance with the present invention if the depth of the wall cavity is greater than 4 inches. In accordance with the present invention, a mortar anchor comprising a rod preferably having a sinusoidally-shaped first end and a pointed, right-angled second end is used to support the masonry wall. The distance between the two ends of the mortar anchor are determined by the depth of the wall cavity.
Therefore, according to the present invention there is provided a thermal efficient building which can be constructed taking into account the meteorological and climatical conditions associated with a particular geographical location. In this manner, the attendant heat losses during the cold winter months and the heat gains during the warm summer months are minimized. The minimal thermal fluctuation necessarily contributes to decreased energy and fuel usage to maintain the interior of the building at a comfortable or desired temperature. Therefore, according to the present invention, energy and fuel can be saved with the associated benefit of lowering the overall fuel costs.